For several decades, heat-shrinkable bags have been used for the packaging of a variety of products. Food, particularly meat, has been vacuum packaged in such bags. Through the years, these heat-shrinkable bags have developed higher impact strength and higher seal strength, while simultaneously becoming easier to seal, having improved oxygen and moisture barrier properties, and having higher total free shrink at lower temperatures. High seal strength, high impact strength, and high puncture-resistance are particularly important for the packaging of fresh meat products, as leaking packages are less desirable to consumers and retailers alike. Moreover, leaking packages reduce shelf life by allowing atmospheric oxygen and microbes to enter the package.
As a result, the bags used for food packaging, particularly meat packaging, have evolved into being quite tough, and therefore difficult to open. Typically, knives and scissors are used for opening the bags that have been evacuated, sealed around, and shrunken against the food product in the package. The use of knives and scissors to open these tough bags increases the risk of injury for consumers and retailers. Moreover, the opening of such tough packaging requires more time and effort due to the toughness of the shrunken bag. For many years, the marketplace has desired a tough, heat-shrinkable, bag that can be opened quickly and easily, without the need for knives and scissors, so that the product can be easily removed from the bag.